New CDC Numbers Show High HIV and Syphilis Rates Among Gay and Bisexual Men
Statement from AIDS Action Committee of MA, Inc.
For Immediate Release
March 10, 2010
Contact:
Paul Twitchell, 617-450-1215, ptwitchell@aac.org
Keith Orr, 617.777.4134, korr@aac.org
The 2010 National STD Prevention Conference, held in Atlanta, Georgia, is releasing new findings on the rates of HIV and syphilis among gay men. While all of us working on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease have long known that gay and bisexual men have been hit hard, this is the first time the US government has attempted to truly quantify the impact.
This is both terrible news and enormously encouraging action. First, we have these data from CDC that confirm our worst fears: gay men are at least 44 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than other men, and at least 46 times more likely to be diagnosed with syphilis than other men. However, for the first time, our government is dedicated to truly understanding the epidemic among gay men. We commend the CDC for their work addressing the disproportionate impact of HIV on gay men. (Read on …)
